09 Dec 2018 00:34:01
It's actually difficult to decide who our best CBs are. It just seem like each player is prone to error.

That was a dreadful piece of football eariler from Vestergaard and that cost us a point and even perhaps 3 points. It's so disappointing. It just seems like every game someone makes a stupid error and that gives away a goal.

Do you think it doesn't help that are CB pairing seem to change every match? That's got to be the first time Vestergaard.

saintjay

1.) 09 Dec 2018 12:15:36
RH definitely needs to get our CBs more confident. Well all of our players. First part of the game we were running around making chances and what not but boy did we get exposed countless times. Our players seem to be a little more fit but now just sloppy.

2.) 10 Dec 2018 23:21:04
Sorry SaintUS but I don't agree that we look fit at all. Most of the team are looking shattered after 65/ 70 minutes. Absolutely disgusting for professional sportsmen earning stupid amounts of money to not be fit enough to keep going for 90/ 95 minutes.

4.) 14 Dec 2018 06:49:03
Hence "little more". Of course we aren't fit enough to keep running like that for 75+ minutes. All I'm eluding to is the players seemed to have more of an umph to them for the first half or so of the game.

25 Jul 2018 23:01:53
What's everyone's thoughts on the current transfer window for us for us? We haven't been very convincing in preseason.
It's an odd one, we've clearly now used up all of the VVD money, hence why MH has said to the press we won't get any new players until we sell them. If that's the case, how come we've let 3 players go out on loan. Do you think the board don't want to take the potential transfer loss?

We let players go on loan because its the smarter long-term move. Players with potential can go, and potentially excel and improve their transfer value, rather than selling people like Boufal and Carillo while their value is at an all-time low. Also, football finances just don't work as simply as fans like to make out. In getting these players off the wage bill, the board will see it as freeing up £X million. Transfer fees don't tend to be the most expensive part of a signing, and in accounting terms football clubs view them as being spread over the length of a player's contract. So when we sign a player for £10m, and £2 mil a year for 5 years, the club will view this as £4mil per year (this too is simplified of course) . By loaning Clasie, Boufal and Carillo, the board will have freed up, for argument's sake, £5mil in this years accounts which they have the option to invest. So it does still help our finances in the short term.

2.) 26 Jul 2018 08:51:32
Loans free up some wages (can only increase a certain amount each year due to FFP regs) whilst keeping the player on our books so if they have a great season they come back to us full of confidence or worth more if we sell on. If they have a terrible season it's no worse than them sitting on the bench/ not even making the squad.

3.) 26 Jul 2018 15:30:15
Seems like we've brought in replacements for players that have been loaned out apart from up the front where in my opinion was the place that needed most improvement. I don't think that we have enough firepower in front of goal.

10 Sep 2017 18:38:39
What's everyone's thoughts on the currentrain situation? We've scored 1 goal from open play this season (against a 10 man West ham) .
Where are we going wrong? Is it our strike force? Or attacking playears creating a lack of opportunities?
I don't think the 4-2-3-1 works at all. I think Gabs needs a strike partner. I'd like to see the 4-3-3 return. This is when we were at our best. Obviously we had Mane whose probably one of the best wingers in the wing. But stick Redmond on the right, Tadic on the left? Then rotate between Davis, Romeu, JWP and Lemina in Midfield depending on the oppointents.
Maybe some back room coaching staff changes after I've seen so much negativity towards Black which is justified since he was head coach of a Villa that were relegated.
Probably a new goalkeeper is needed. Forester isn't good enough.

saintjay

1.) 11 Sep 2017 11:16:26
We are not Powerful enough in midfield, Romeu is the only player that can tackle, Prowse is a wast of time he gives us nothing, Tadic is scared, and weak, Redmond and Boufal are just not up to it. No shots on goal, no wonder the fans showed their frustration.
Look at the athleticism, height, power, plus skill that the Watford midfield had. As for playing one man up front, all this does is give opposition defenses a "easy day" Gabbaidini is quality but he has no way of showing this when he has to play as a lone striker. Play Austin with him alongside. Now you can see why Lambert and Pelle was good for us bringing others into the game. Sorry but we need to offload 3 players at least and get some grit and pace in midfield.
As for Foster I can't put into writing what I think of him
G S.

2.) 11 Sep 2017 13:05:51
I agree I think that Lemina will hopefully add some power. I'm hoping that Lemina will be the sort of player that will break up play and advance forward with the ball. Like a Dembele or Kante. I think Tadic is our most technically gifted player. However, we don't get any use out of him. He plays better on the wings. Which is why I think he should play on left and Redmond on the right. Redmond isn't good enough on the left. We need to use his pace, if we have him on the right we can start to see him making runs and putting the ball in the box from good positions. Because at the moment he wants to put everything on his right.
I 100% agree. I do feel for Puel last season as he may have played Austin and Gabs up front had Austin been fit. I don't see why Pellegrino is not doing the same. It really is a no brainer if your team is not scoring add some firepower. We have good depth in an average squad, as everyone is at the same ability. I like to think that all of the midfield could walk into all of the teams that finished below us. Ideally, we would want JWP sitting deep and pinging balls about. It's a shame we haven't loaned him out. A few seasons in the Championship would have down him a world of good when we first got promoted.
I'm hoping that maybe Harry Lewis could grow this season and play next year, that would be ideal.

3.) 11 Sep 2017 18:24:22
We didn't spend good money on Lemina for nothing!
It was quite obvious that we needed strength in midfield from virtually the first few minutes . how is it all us armchair amateurs can see that watford's midfield was fast, strong, versatile, agile . and what do we have Davis and Ward-Prowse being overrun? It does not matter what side of the pitch you put REdmond and Boufal, there is no end product and even if there is . there is no one to receive the ball . Gabbi touched the ball only 10 times in the whole game . ONCE in their area all game!

whoscored.com gives detailed analysis of each game and can be broken down into player by player.

Might give us all an insight into what on earth is going on . some examples .
Passes inside Watford's box . 12 . yep 12 all game!
Tackles in side Waford's box . 0 . that's a big fat ZERO . their defence must have loved it!

Loss of Possession all game . 30 times (15 of those Tadic, Boufal and REdmond) .
And to those that say Ward-Prowse adds nothing to the team . I didn't agree until i saw his stats!
Ward Prowse touches . 14! all game! of which TEN were passes! (Rom : 69, Davis 66, Suares 93 . etc)

4.) 11 Sep 2017 18:51:34
We just need to be patient. let's not forget we have a new manager and several new players to bed in. Its frustrating to see we have the same problems as last season but that is due to the lack of recruitment in attacking positions which was down to the club rather than MP. He has to coach the squad he has, the same as we have to support the team playing for us each week.

Our weakness is that we lack pace in attack, so end up playing in front of teams, failing to break with enough pace to get in behind or catch them out of position. We’re too easy to defend against at the moment. Teams know what we’re going to do before we do as we are one dimensional and nothing has moved on since last season at the moment.

The positive thing is that MP sees the problem and is shifting players around and dropping anyone who is not performing. Its logical that if the first team squad cannot perform well enough, someone in the reserves may so at some point, MP may start introducing fringe players into the match squad. let's not forget, Chelsea looked ropey at the start of last season until their new manager rolled the dice, changed formation and gambled on squad players like Victor Moses being able to do a job out of position. It paid off and MP may need to find a similar solution.

As fans, all we can do is support the team and MP and hope they find a way to turn things around. We’re only 4 games in so let's not write off the season just yet. We must understand MP will have to take risks with players and try different things. Rather than bemoan any failed experiments, we should celebrate having a head coach who is willing to shake things up to try to get us out of this rough patch.

Finally, we have to be realistic. let's not forget who we are and where we have come from. We are now a good premier league team and relegation is not on anyone’s minds at this early stage. If it is, you should feel free to book an appointment with your psychiatrist at the earliest available date. We have a model of developing young players, whose form and confidence can be up and down. Look at Pogba at utd last season for example. We can’t be too harsh on the likes of JWP and Redmond as they are still young. The same applies to Stephens, Lemina, Targett, Sims, even Hoedt etc. We must therefore accept that we will go through rough and smooth patches and our league position may be inconsistent. Short term loss for long term gain. If we can create a squad like Tottenham has, with youth and ability on its side, we could see the start of a long spell of success for the club. That’s what the club wants. That’s what we all want. It will be worth a few mediocre seasons is we can reach that goal.

5.) 11 Sep 2017 21:52:38
This has to been posted by one of the players' wives or even mums? we were AWFUL!
We can’t be too harsh on the likes of JWP and Redmond as they are still young. -- age has nothing to do with it! they are experienced pros who simply aren't producing! there was a time when JWP was considered England's next number 10! read his stats . absolutely awful. As for Redmond, shame his skill, goals, ability don't match his highly inflated ego!
The same applies to Stephens, Lemina, Targett, Sims, even Hoedt etc
All of those players have produced the goods! and most importantly have improved as players .
The football (and I use that term loosely) produced against Watford was atrocious. I am not sure I have ever watched a game where we had no shape, no style, no drive . it was almost impossible to read our game .

7.) 12 Sep 2017 11:43:21
Several players to bed in? Lemina didn't play due to the international game, Bednarek is considered one for the future, which just leaves Hoedt as one new player. This does not warrant a complete lack of ideas, when you consider Watford have more players to bed in than us.

Would love to be more positive but I have concerns, not so much with the points but performances.

8.) 12 Sep 2017 14:12:55
The point is Rich that your statistics based on one match do not actually shed a great deal of light on the problems our team is experiencing, they merely highlight the symptoms. Also, if you feel that 3 or4 of our starting players are not good enough, then what is the solution? You suggest none. We can’t buy anyone now. Who in the squad can come in to the first team and make such a radical difference? Lemina of course can return and looks a prospect on paper, (lets not pretend after one appearance for the first team we have it nailed on how good he is and what his strengths and weaknesses will be), but even he is a young player who will require a little time to adapt to the pace and power of our league in comparison to Serie A. Saying age has nothing to do with the performance and consistency of several of our players is either wilfully naïve or moronic.
My point about bedding in new players Gregg does not relate solely to the starting 11, especially not in relation to the one game against Watford. A team needs strength in depth to provide competition for places and for form players to come off the bench and make a difference in games where things aren’t quite working. With players like Bednarek, Hoedt and Lemina, Hojberg i. e the young players that our club is choosing to invest in rather than bringing in proven premier league performers, all will take time to find their feet with ups and downs in their performances. This will impact the first team whether they are on the pitch or competing for places.
Southampton Football Club has stated its aim is to invest in young players we can develop and bring in to the first team, rather than spending a lot of money on established players. Until those young players are on the pitch performing consistently, we continue to invest in the future of the first team rather than its present. That said, the club is not slow to invest and bring in established players to bolster the first team squad if the need is apparent. Gabbiadini is an example, coming in last January to great effect before his injury. So, if we continue to struggle in front of goal, hopefully we’ll see investment in January. Long gone are the days under the likes of Rupert Lowe where your squad at the start of the season, irrespective of the opening and shutting of transfer windows, would remain the same. Our club is now more pragmatic with its playing staff and the coaching staff if things aren’t working.
We’re 4 games in. We have a new head coach. The first team squad has not really been added to over the summer, especially in attack so we face similar problems to last season. That puts a lot of pressure on the new head coach to solve the problem going forward that Claude Puel could not. Why not wait and see how we’re doing after 10 games or on the run up to Christmas before writing off the team?

It is neither moronic nor naive to suggest age is not a factor. I agree totally that someone like Simms, they have very little experience in the Premiership . but JWP has made not far off 150 first team appearances, plus over 50 appearances for various levels of the England setup .
Nathan R has made over 200! first team appearances, plus 70 for various levels of the England set up!

As for my statistics not being representative . ok here are some stats for our first 4 games,
Total Dribbles 40, 2 in the opponents box
Tackles attempted 87 . ZERO in the opponents box
Interceptions 43 . ZERO in the opponents box
Blocks 44 . 1 in the opponents box
Fouls 41 . 3 in the opponents box
Aerial Duels 77 . 9 in the opponents box .

A combination of not getting the ball in the area enough and when it does enter their box, not exactly fighting for the ball!
while we have three Gaston R's in Redmond, Boufal and Tadic, we will have lots of fancy footwork with no end product! all ending before that telling pass to poor old Gabbi waiting patiently!

What we do about it mmmmmm well JWP isn't providing much, even Davis is not producing .

I’m not going to bang the JWP drum much because I’m also not sure where he fits into our team – he’s not really an attacking midfielder, nor a defensive one. He would probably benefit from a 3/ 5/ 2 with Lemina and Romeu behind him to provide protection so he can patrol behind and interchange with a front two.

The problem I have with statistics is they are always open to interpretation. Yes, in the last 5 seasons, JWP has 148 appearances, but only 79 were starts and he hasn’t played the full 90 minutes of many (if any) of those games. If we say a young player learning the ropes requires a consistent run, these stats don’t tell us how many consecutive games he has played. I’m sure its not many considering he’s been around the first team for 5 seasons. His best appearance stats came last season and he provided 4 goals and 4 assists from 22 starts. Not bad for someone who is in and out of the team and utilised in several different positions when he does come in. Not only that but he’s 22. The onus is on the club to find a way to fit him into the team if they want to get the best out of him, rather than squeeze him into the starting line-up.

Like Redmond, yes they both have a good level of experience now, but age also relates to maturity and confidence levels and other related factors. If a player reaches his peak at about 27 or 28, both players have a lot of development ahead of them so is it fair we bin them now? It comes back to the argument of do you give our young players, our young English players, a chance to progress in their respective first teams, playing regularly in the premier league, or do you give up on them and drop them back to the under 23s?

Your other team stats in your first post all focused on action inside Watford’s box. As much as we would like the game to be played out in the opposition box, the majority of a match’s action takes place in the middle third of the pitch for the vast majority of teams in the vast majority of matches, so events inside the box, unless you’re playing an inept team, are going to be very limited. Also, with stats as detailed as this, I for one do not know what is average in a 90 minute game of football in the premier league, what is average in a match for a team that plays a similar system and style to us (when you are able to detect one), or even what is average for the teams that are likely to be around us in the league table. Whilst a zero stat isn’t great, how rare is it?

In any event, my point is the stats, even your new ones, don’t tell us the cause of the problem, they simply highlight the symptom, which is we are pretty blunt going forward. In my view, we struggle because we are playing in front of the opposition because we are slow in moving the ball forward and any chance of a quick break, unless a genuine one on one, is usually curtailed as the breaking player has to check his run to hold the ball up and await support. Its all very one dimensional and predictable with even the weakest teams in the prem not being stretched as we do not hit them at pace and catch them out of position.

I’m not sure I’m comfortable with a 4-4-2 as most teams set up with up to 5 midfielders and three attackers when in possession, so they could bypass a 4 man midfield. Plus, Shane Long I don’t see as a wide option as, while he has some pace, I’m not sure he has the end product required either. I like playing Gabbi and Austin together though. It has to be worth a try. So a 3-5-2 perhaps with Yoshi, Stephens and Hoedt/ Bertrand (if VVD doesn’t return to the team), Cedric and Bertrand/ McQueen as wing-backs Lemina, Romeu and JWP/ Hojberg/ Davis in the middle and Gabbi playing in and around Austin.

11.) 12 Sep 2017 22:09:33
It's great to have a 'conversation' with someone that writes sense .
Interestingly in your lineup, you omitted Boufal, Redmond and Tadic. I agree totally, I agree we don't hit opponents with pace. The initial passes forward are slowed down the minute one of those three get the ball. They then go through some song, dance, side shuffle, step over, beat the same player three times . and then try and pass . all too late as the opponents midfield and defence are all back and in position. Perhaps this is the reason for JWP's poor stats, he quite simply is not getting the ball and therefore can't control that number 10 position. To be fair, I was shocked at the stats for him . especially as the players around him had played the ball by a factor of 6 to 8 times more! .

My reason behind Shane Long was that of a similar role to Jay Rod played, out wide and cutting in (and becoming the third attacker) . It was more I was trying to think of a way to get the ball moving faster without the need for the Waltz, Tango and Side Steps .!

The three amigos remind me so much of Gaston Ramirez, a talented player who had great footwork, but so frustrating. With the modern day defender/ midfield being so agile and quick, a player that 'messes' around with the ball and then makes the pass, maybe 10 seconds after he should have, can end up being negative for the team.
GAbbi is an exceptional finisher and his positional play really does remind me of Shearer, Teddy S or Van Nistleroy . but while he takes up great positions, he never gets the ball.

A quality that we always had was great combination between the wing backs and midfield; this appeared almost non existent on Saturday.

It will be very interesting to see the formation/ team played Saturday. I have supported Saints for near on 50 years and played amateur football for near on 30 . and Saints on Saturday was quite possibly the most disjointed team I have ever seen.

12.) 13 Sep 2017 09:33:54
I also notice that we both failed to mention Forster . deliberately or subconsciously I am not sure!
I am not sure we can continue with this man.
His ability to save a shot on goal is rapidly diminishing from
sometimes to never .

13.) 13 Sep 2017 11:03:37
Thank you. I agree, that the best way to use a forum is to have a chat, clear the air and then hopefully, find a positive thread to look forward to Saturday rather than dread it.

I don’t see Redmond or Boufal as viable wing backs. Perhaps auxiliary forwards if we need to move a midfielder up to play off Austin? I still think this 3-5-2 lacks pace though. We’d rely heavily on the wing backs for pace. In an ideal world our attacking midfielder would also have pace too but if you look at a team like Leicester, they make do with pace in wide areas and a striker.

I don’t think Forster is the long term solution but he’s the best option from the current squad. I was disappointed the young keeper who came on loan last season didn’t get more of a chance. Forster doesn’t command his area which is odd given his size. The best example was Zlatan’s headed goal to beat us at Wembley last year. What was he, three yards away from our goal line? It was a floated cross too so Forster had time to get there. Distribution last season was frightening and barely reached the halfway line at times and he doesn’t get down quickly enough to save the low shots. I was concerned to see him dive to save Watford’s first attempt last week and he seemed to pull his hands away at the vital moment, as if he thought it was going wide.

So I’m not crazy. I do see the flaws, but I just think there’s no fixing some things at the moment and this is going to be another transitional season. Its cathartic to come on here and have a moan but at the same point, negativity can spread like wildfire and we end up jeering or booing our team which does little for their confidence this early on the season.

I hope performances can improve but it may be up and down like last year. We may see more from Hojberg now he’s more settled, Boufal may also improve and Lemina may be the new Schneiderlin. Fingers crossed. I also hope the new owners will make funds available next summer. I think the eds highlighted ffp rules may mean less spending this year, but given PSG have been able to do what they have with limited scrutiny, apparently ffp is now worthless.

On to managerless Palace. Its got draw written all over it with two teams struggling to score and low on confidence, but if we can get a lucky break, or if MP hits on a solution to our attacking issue, tactically or through personnel, maybe we can secure another three points. COYR.

14.) 13 Sep 2017 15:42:51
I thought I would check on Gaston Ramirez to see where he is . off to Serie A .
It has been interesting (and enjoyable) to watch teams like Stoke and Watford this season. The days of big strong, slow and not too skillful players seems over. I actually loved watching the way Watford played. Their attacks were exciting and fast. There was very little messing around on the ball, quite simply fast passes to space and players on the run .
I mention Gaston because maybe the days of players like Boufal and Tadic in the PL are gone. With agile and quick defenders plus sharp midfields, the ball needs to be played quickly and accurately.
There are some very clever, highly skillful players around . I love to watch Jaun Matta, Fernandinho, Aguero . Willian . Hazard . but they all move the ball quickly and also move quickly into space .
Anyway, back to Saints .
Two up front . and most importantly GET THE BALL TO THEM :-)

3.) 16 Aug 2017 16:27:44
Eds the Liverpool fans saying VVD could still get done and that Saints might be waiting to see if Lpool qualify for CL and if they do they wouldn't stand in his way. This sounds ridiculous to me and deluded. Do you think there is any truth in this at all? Sorry to ask but they all seem to think so!

24 Jul 2017 11:32:12
Has anyone seen our 25 squad that taking to France. I can see it's missing VVD, but that's a given since he's acting like a child. But Cedric is also missing, is he injured or could he also be off?

saintjay

1.) 24 Jul 2017 12:16:14
Hopefully vvd given a deal play and grow up and a move can happen if fee is paid that is acceptable and it is done in the right way in the next window or next summer. See soared linked to Chelsea now? Hopefully loop will have to recall sakho as he is still in their books and coutinho goes to Barcelona like Suarez and mascherano did and forces the move.

13 May 2019 09:07:57
A disappointing end to a bittersweet season. We seemed to be doomed in November but credit where it's due, Ralph has turned the club and players around. We seems to have slightly
declined since securing our place in the Premier League next season. There's still a lot of work to do.
I'd like to see the board really financially back Hasenhüttl, give him 80-100m to sign 4/ 5 really good players. Get rid of all the deadweight, we want to be signing that are better than we have that can really take the club forward and increase our chances of finishing in a Europe League spot. Because, if the club wants to progress in the league than they will need the financial backing, we've wasted the VVD money with some sub par signings.

I would say sell these players.

- Forester and McCarthy, both aren't good. I would like to see us sell both of them and buy a better Goalkeeper and have Gunn as number 2

- Cedric, Hoedt, Stephens. Get rid of all of these defenders and sign a new rightback and centreback. I think the Vestergaard and Bednerak are both good enough to be our pairing next season, but if we think that we can
someone better in that we should do so.

- Austin, Elyounoussi, McQueen, Gallagher, Clasie should also be sold. I also don't think that we should sign Danny Ings on a permanent, he's had an okay season, but hasn't been able to become a consistent scorer because of his injuries.

I'd like to see Boufal and Carrillo play next season but we'll see what Ralph makes of them in preseason.

saintjay

1.) 13 May 2019 10:55:18
Danny Ings has to be signed and paid for. It was the deal with Liverpool that we buy him at the end of the year long loan.

2.) 13 May 2019 12:10:03
Amazing how many fans still don't realise that we are OBLIGATED to sign Danny ings. He is essentially a Southampton player. Not just a one season loan signing.

Having Gunn as a number 2 is also a pretty terrible shout. He's a good keeper, did very well at Norwich. we didn't spend 13 million on him just to be a number 2 keeper. He also didn't leave man city and sign for us just to be a number 2 either.
He will be our number 1 for hopefully a good couple of years.
I imagine one of either forster or McCarthy will go and the other will provide back up. or we will sell both and buy an experienced keeper as back up.
I agree with most of the rest of your post, Jay. I'd also like to see if boufal can adhere to Ralph's methods (not actually confident he will though) but I don't see what carrillo has done either with us or on loan this year to warrant being selected. he doesn't even seem to fit Ralph's idea of what he wants in a striker. If you want to keep him we may as well keep Gallagher, there about the sake level in terms of ability.

3.) 13 May 2019 18:35:40
I agree Milky. I'd love to see Boufal come back with the right attitude because he's obviously a very good footballer. As for Carrillo, I just don't think he has what it takes. We need a striker who can net 15 or more goals a season and I'm sure he's not up to that standard. I think that Gunn could be our no.1 for several years, just need an upgrade in the defence in front of him.

11 Mar 2019 13:46:32
Been doing some comparison for a fan favourite to assess how good this man actually is. Bednarek has been one of our best players under RH and the stats behind his success do not lie. This kid offers so much to us. I've compared his defensive stats to some of the "best defenders" in the league and he out and out beats most of these players in numbers.

You could argue that these players play for better clubs and have less work to do. But I still think that these stats prove how good he's been for us.

saintjay

1.) 11 Mar 2019 23:35:42
RH has certainly brought the best out of him but I think that's true of all our players. His man management skills are second to none. I'm sure if Hughes was still in charge we would be fighting Huddersfield for bottom place.

04 Mar 2019 09:15:51
Another disappointing result at the weekend. A good performance but again we didn't get anything from the game. Trying to put my finger on the problem, again we conceded late, but again another problem is that we never respond well once we have conceded 1. More often then not this season we've conceded 2 goals in the space of 10 minutes.

Looking at our results this season here are times we've failed to not bounce back well after conceded.

This seems to be another issue along with conceded goals late on. What do you think it is? Do you think we concede and then try to push too hard to score another and then get caught out? Do you think our defence switches off too often?

90 minutes is more than enough time to concede 2 goals, but when the change in matches happens so fast for us there is definitely a problem.

Another stat that I saw from the weekend is that we've scored the 3rd most goals from outside the box (10), Man City and Spurs have scored more. Only thing is that Spurs have scored 56 goals and Man City have scored 76, where was we've only scored 32. Are we relying too much from a moment of quality to carry us through to get a result and not creating enough chances in the area?

saintjay

1.) 04 Mar 2019 21:43:36
I've also noticed that saintjay. Heads drop after conceding a goal and we lose our shape. Having said that, we were unlucky against Man U as we could have had ( according to Clattenburg should have had) two penalties which would have made a massive difference. I do believe that our defence tend to switch off occasionally which at premier league level you can't afford to do. As for creating chances in the box I've noticed that when we have someone creative in midfield nobody seems to be making themselves available in the box .

It's not worth putting the ball into the box when there's nobody to get on the end of it. I still think that if we have manage to stay up we need to bring in a quality Pelle type player who can get on the end of crosses and hold the ball up for midfielders to run on to although RH doesn't seem to favour that type of player. Must say that if we played every week like we did on Saturday I think we would be close to top 7/ 8 rather than fighting to stay out of the bottom 3.

2.) 05 Mar 2019 09:51:02
I agree that we were unlucky against United and should have had the two penalties, maybe not the second and Berty goes down very easily but definitely the first one. That being said, we score it and then we take the lead earlier and perhaps Varley doesn't score his goal and the game takes on a whole different perspective. We play better against the teams that want the ball so that we can press them high and turn over the ball. I think this is why we weren't able to get results against CP, Burnley and Cardiff is because they were just able to sit back and let us try and break them down, something we haven't been able to do and don't really have the quality for. Aside from talent, this is what makes Man City the best team in the country, they can press well and break for the press, they can pass against teams pressing against them and they can maintain possession and break teams down that way. Something that we do not do. I think RH will learn this though and we should be well equipped next term (if we stay up) to handle it.

I think RH doesn't currently have the squad he wants. He's currently playing a 5-3-2 because he doesn't think our defence is ready to switch to 4 a back situation. I think that perhaps in Yoshida and Bednarek could play just the two of them, but ideally, I'd like to sign a new CB to partner Bednarek.
He's always played with a 4-2-2-2, I think that PEH and Romeu/ Lemina will be the two holding midfielders. He said in an interview that he wants to shape the team around PEH. Then the 2 attacking midfielders will be JWP and Armstrong, maybe Hesketh or Slattery will be bought in on a rotation basis or we will sign someone new to play this position. But JWP has cemented his position in the squad and has become a vital player for us. He can really become a Lampard sort of player and contribute to a lot of goals in an attacking position.
Then I see Redmond playing up front with a new striker. I don't think any of our current strikers are good enough to play in the Premier League, they simply don't score enough or bring anything to the squad.

25 Jan 2019 09:05:51
I've just read that RH wants to seriously trim the squad, he wants a squad of 18-20 apposed to our current 25 man squad, with youth players coming in when he needs them and I can't blame him, the fans cry out for more signings. However, we used the VVD money to sign like 4 players, none of which have really worked out. Listing our squad below, I've outlined the players that I think are safe and not safe. Let me know what you think:

It's very pessimistic to look at our squad and think that none of them might not be good enough for what RH wants. Although, this is all based on my own opinion. And obviously we won't get rid of everyone that is not safe, but if offers come in for this players, I can't see us busting a gut to hold onto them.

saintjay

1.) 25 Jan 2019 10:23:53
If Reed and Carrillo were the only loanees to come back, and considering Ralph will want to make probably four major signings in the next year, I can see the following;

Forster (£6m), McCarthy (£9m), Cedric (£17m), Yoshida (£4m), Bertrand (£12m), Lemina (£30m), ElYounoussi (£8m), Austin (£5m), Long (£5m) . Add in to that Boufal, Davis, Clasie and Hoedt - although Clasie may be an interesting one - and there’s about £120m. They won’t all happen but wouldn’t that be nice.

Then by my count that leaves us with 13/ 14 senior players and multiple higher capable youth players who will excel under Ralph.

With that money and free wage bill space, I would then like us to sign;

A keeper - young, hungry - to challenge Gunn, for about £12m.
A CB - maybe a cheeky German Ralph knows for £20m.
A versatile full back - Maehle seems appropriate for now (£6m) .
An attacking wide player - we’ve been interested in Sisto for a long while however maybe someone else will be more realistic. Either way that will cost us near a club record fee ~£20m.
A goal scorer to support Carrillo, Ings - those that spring to mind feel unrealistic so I will leave that up to discussion. Again probably £20m.
That’s a spend of around £80m plus refilling our wage bill with probably a bit to spare, so around £40m in profit.

These may seem unrealistic with such a high turnover of players but if that’s what Ralph wants them make it happen - there’s a squad of 18-20 with youth players to fill in the gaps. One can dream.

2.) 25 Jan 2019 11:34:50
I'd agree with all of those transfer fees. I wouldn't want to sell both GK's.

I don't know who we would bring in to do what RH wants. For a striker, I'd want someone with Shane Longs energy for the pressing, with a good finished. RH has rated Obafemi really higher and wants to approve him, in the fans forum last week he said at the moment he can only perform 2/ 3 high-intensity sprints a game to press but he wants 20 sprints per game out of him.

We'll see what RH actually wants from the squad, I don't think 5-3-2 is the formation he wants to play but is the formation he has to play because our defence isn't good enough.

I'd hope that Boufal shows the right attitude for RH, he's a bit older now, so could come on a bit as Redmond has. In his two seasons for us at times he has graced us with absolute raw talent and I'd want to see more of that. I love the showboating part of his game, but it rarely works, he just needs the right coaching and he could become a quality player.

3.) 25 Jan 2019 15:27:53
I can see him reverting to a back 4 with potentially his favoured 4-2-2-2 when he gets the players he wants. I like the current set up but I’ve never really seen saints as a back five kind of side.

That gives us competition in most places with a strong strong bench - McCarthy at GK, we maybe need to sign another full back for competition if Bertrand goes, a CB to challenge those we have, then JWP, Armstrong, Reed, Sims in the midfield and wide positions, plus Obafemi and hopefully another forward up front.

In a dream world I’d play JWP Armstrong and Redmond as AMs but I’m not sure 4-2-3-1 would suit us or Ralph - think we need a couple of attacking wingers to play off the striker so one of those three at least will have to miss out.

4.) 25 Jan 2019 15:39:54
I think having a squad of only 18 is a stupid risk. 20, maybe. but it doesn't sound as though he's accounting for cup competition.

I agree that some more need to go, especially considering who we have out on loan deals with no guarantee of them being sold permanently.

I for me, 1 of forster/ McCarthy should go leaving the other to compete or back up for gunn.

Bertrand might go if a suitable offer comes In but I think he's missed the boat on that really. At least one centre half in with yoshida possibly going, although he is an ok back up.

Our midfield is good, but if someone offered big money for lemina I'd take it. I don't think he is as good people think he is. Certainly looks less interested in the games against lesser teams. So if he goes for 30-40 mill we could get some creativity in the middle. I would love it if RH could coach boufal into being a really good player. Would boufal jump on that train though? .

I think carillos saints career is over I'm afraid. Can't see him coming back. I think long will stick about. RH likes his work rate. Does Gallagher have it in him to challenge? If not, sell and replace. Austin will go and of the season, so we need a new striker to compete with ings, obafemi and long.

We need a left footed winger! With pace. Someone who offers different from cutting back inside every single time.

Would like to see hesketh come through. Not sure if sims has enough about him.

Harry reed. Make or break. Either at rb/ rwb or cm. Will he be given the opportunity and will he finally take it?

04 Jan 2019 09:17:17
The most disappointing for me at the moment is the situation we've left ourselves in with any potential transfers. The board stating they won't sign players unless we sell to give ourselves a transfer budget. I think that the way we've been with recent transfers have caused the board to take these actions.
I would like to think the board would fork out £15m or so to sign a good quality young player that can get into our first team, a player that they can make a profit on in seasons to come. However, if you look at the players we've sold and bought in the last few season you can see why they wouldn't take this risk.

Looking at transfers since the 15/ 16 season.

We bought Angus Gunn in the summer to compete with McCarthy, without letting go of FF, therefore we have an expensive GK lurking around in the squad.

Our midfield, we keep buying CM's. In the past few seasons we've sold Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama who have made us about 40m in transfers. However, we've then gone out and Romeu, Hojbjerg, Lemina, Clasie and Armstrong. Who all cost over £50m.

Up top we've only sold Pelle and Rodriguez for 18m and we've bought: Charlie Austin, Shane Long, Carrillo, Gabbiadini, which is another 40m+ in transfer.

The point I'm trying to make is that we can't expect the board to invest the squad when we have so many players we can't sell and make a profit on. The only players in our squad I would say that we could make a profit are: McCarthy, Cedric, Bednerak. Romeu, Lemina, Austin, Hojbjerg. Which isn't great when you think the likes of Hoedt, Gabbiadini, Clasie, Carrillo, Boufal all cost us a lot of money and haven't actually put in any service for the club.

If we've got deadweight in our squad that RH doesn't want we should sell it and cut our losses. Us being a selling means that we have to get almost every transfer right and the last few seasons we just haven't done that.

saintjay

1.) 04 Jan 2019 11:27:47
I'm pretty sure that's the plan saintjay - sell the deadwood and cut our losses. The problem has often been since Poch left is that we have had a succession of managers with less idea of ow to build a team. Despite us brining in a number of centre-midfielders, they all play different roles and have different strengths and weaknesses.

RH seems more clear in knowing the type of player he wants in each position and the role he wants them to play. This not only informs the physical attributes of the player but the skill set required to balance the team.

With a lesser man at the helm, the transfer situaion would be a slight concern but with Ross Wilson and RH working closely on trasnfers, I am more confident that any players we bring in will have a better chance of improving the team.

2.) 06 Jan 2019 22:37:20
I understand this point from a business view, but you do not take over a club in a struggling position and believe that you can sell poor players for cheap and get good players for the same price. That's not how it works unfortunately. We have seen our club sell countless players for £30+million and bought who of real stature or talent?

Even now in January we speak of selling and all I see on sites is about us selling. Great get rid of the deadwood but we need to spend if we want to see us climb the table. From a business standpoint he needs to spend to get a profit back.

I'm sick of people seeing us as a personal piggy bank, we have never been a massive club but till 15 years ago who were Man City, the board needs to buck up and start really showing some heart and dedication to this club. It's the same old story, that has happened with many clubs. How did they honestly think it would end differently?

11 Mar 2019 09:57:17
I don't really want to predict our results anymore. After we only took 2 points from Palace, Burnley and Cardiff. 3 results that could have defined our season. I don't want it to be like last season where other teams results define our fate. I think the result on Saturday was brilliant. I'm hoping we can get more results like this, I wouldn't be surprised if RH keeps the same team that scored the two goals against Spurs for the next run of games. We don't have an out and out striker anymore to rely on goals and it's going to be risky relying on JWP to score most of our goals forward, we just need good moves and someone at the end of it, i. e. Valery on Saturday.

We play best against the top teams that want to come and play football and control the game. Leaving our midfield to press and win the balls in good positions on the field and then break from there. Teams that sit back with players in numbers are the teams that we struggle against hence why we only took a couple of points from the teams around us.

26 Jan 2019 08:53:51
My view of Austin is that he's always seemed quite cocky and arrogant. Yes he's scored important goals for the club, but he's also wastes plenty of very good opportunities. I agree, I think Ings is the only striker of quality in our team, maybe Redmond will start to play alongside him. Maybe we'll pull an obscene transfer out of the bag! But a couple of injuries to our main goalscorers and we'll he very light on our feet.
Does anyone think that RH, might fall out with the squad by selling all our "deadweight"?

saintjay

{Ed001's Note - I have met Austin a fair few times when he was at Swindon and he is actually a nice enough lad and not all that cocky and arrogant, most of the time. However he is very much a 'lad' and has the lifestyle that entails, which is not conducive to high level fitness and will not help him steer clear of injury. Especially for a body type like his, which is always going to be a problem as he struggles with keeping his weight in check.}

25 Jan 2019 14:14:28
I've read that his release clause is only 11m, but if they loan him then he'll cost 1m, then they'll have the option to buy for 20m after, so they're shooting themselves in the foot.

24 Jan 2019 17:04:35
Carrillo will come back and be assessed in the summer, as will Boufal. I think RH will play Redmond as our main striker for the remainder of the season. The way we set up on Saturday is best suited to us, at this moment in time. Playing 5 at the back, with the two holding midfielders, we move the ball fast and precisely to beat teams on the counter. This style of play heavier relies on Redmond and Ings getting in behind the defenders.

24 Jan 2019 13:41:17
Looking at his stats from this season, he is statistically the worst fullback in our squad. I don't think Squawka is up to date and how accurate is it, nonetheless according to it in 15 matches (1315 minutes) he has done the following:
- Intercepted the ball 20 times
- Blocked 9 crosses
- Won 16 tackles
- Dispossessed the ball 9 times
- Created 11 chances

Where Valery has done the following in only 2 games (180 minutes) :
- Intercepted the ball 6 times
- Blocked 4 crosses
- Won 11 tackles
- Dispossessed the ball 7 times
- Created 0 chances

If you take his stats and work them out across Cedric's game time, it's obvious that he is the better defender (obviously teams will be more likely to target a young inexperienced full back), but he clearly holds his own. Another option would be to play Reed in this position when he returns from loan.

11 Mar 2019 10:01:04
First game I've watched this season where I feel that we've been the "lucky team" - with Spurs squandering all their chances. They could've easily been 4-0 up at half time. But their decision making in front of goal wasn't great. We came out in the second and played great football, Redmond could've scored 2 himself.
Even though we were lucky, Spurs could've easily had a few red cards. Vertonghen high boot, Walkers-Peters tackle off the ball and Sissoko headbutt.

06 Mar 2019 08:59:08
He's relishing the free roaming role he has in the Ajax squad, getting himself in all different positions in the final third of the pitch, and not relied on to track back and defend. You're really seeing a different player this season, 26 goals and 15 assists in all competitions are outstanding, goals against Bayern and Madrid really does show off his quality. I hope that him and Ajax can go even further in the champions league. I'd go as far as saying I hope Liverpool go through and he shows VVD the ropes like he did Madrid.

05 Mar 2019 09:51:02
I agree that we were unlucky against United and should have had the two penalties, maybe not the second and Berty goes down very easily but definitely the first one. That being said, we score it and then we take the lead earlier and perhaps Varley doesn't score his goal and the game takes on a whole different perspective. We play better against the teams that want the ball so that we can press them high and turn over the ball. I think this is why we weren't able to get results against CP, Burnley and Cardiff is because they were just able to sit back and let us try and break them down, something we haven't been able to do and don't really have the quality for. Aside from talent, this is what makes Man City the best team in the country, they can press well and break for the press, they can pass against teams pressing against them and they can maintain possession and break teams down that way. Something that we do not do. I think RH will learn this though and we should be well equipped next term (if we stay up) to handle it.

I think RH doesn't currently have the squad he wants. He's currently playing a 5-3-2 because he doesn't think our defence is ready to switch to 4 a back situation. I think that perhaps in Yoshida and Bednarek could play just the two of them, but ideally, I'd like to sign a new CB to partner Bednarek.
He's always played with a 4-2-2-2, I think that PEH and Romeu/ Lemina will be the two holding midfielders. He said in an interview that he wants to shape the team around PEH. Then the 2 attacking midfielders will be JWP and Armstrong, maybe Hesketh or Slattery will be bought in on a rotation basis or we will sign someone new to play this position. But JWP has cemented his position in the squad and has become a vital player for us. He can really become a Lampard sort of player and contribute to a lot of goals in an attacking position.
Then I see Redmond playing up front with a new striker. I don't think any of our current strikers are good enough to play in the Premier League, they simply don't score enough or bring anything to the squad.

04 Feb 2019 09:44:58
At the end of the day, Stephens' arm was in an unnatural position. And that is the only thing the referee sees. His arm is up and the ball hits him on the arm. I think the other laws that you have written were not in play, as he does not bring his arm towards the ball and he has no opportunity to move his arm away as the ball was too close to him. Until VAR comes in, the referee will never catch Crouch fouling him, as he's too close to Stephens but we can see in the replays that he's clearly holding his shirt.
I think the handball law will always come down to interpretation at the time of the handball. Stephens' arm was up straight so to be fair to the ref, he had to give it.